tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39806772315423155812017-03-02T18:14:38.501+01:00Makerbot Cupcakea CNC knowledgebase<center>This site contains settings for the Makerbot Cupcake CNC. Skeinforge, ReplicatorG, mechanical and electrical upgrades.</center>Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-51225083817635418002010-07-25T15:06:00.000+02:002010-07-25T15:06:52.704+02:00ABS leftovers turn to glueWhen printing, you're bound to have a heap of little scraps of extruded ABS (rafts, test extrusions, clogs). Untill the day comes when granulated ABS can be extruded, here's a great way to utilize something you would otherwise throw away!<br /><br />Take your scraps and crush/cut them up as small as you can, then put them in a GLASS container (an old drinking glass for instance). USE GLASS because acetone dissolves certain plastics (polymers, like abs!!).<br />Pour in Acetone and stir it around every half hour or so. Repeat the stiring for about a day. Add more acetone untill your solution has the desired thickness. Now, acetone is very fleeting when exposed to oxygen, so cover the glass - unless your mixture is too thin and in that case leave it uncovered. Make sure to keep the mixtuer in a well vented area when uncovered. Eitherway keep it in a vented area because Acetone stinks and can cause a nasty headache. Depending on the pureness of the acetone, it might evaporate fast or slower.<br /><br />A good way to seal the glass is to use parafilm. This is used in chemistry labs and is a great way of sealing the beaker. Don't use any type of plastic (polymer based) cling film, because the acetone vapor will dissolve it (like household cling film).<br /><br />ABS is used in allot of products, including car parts. You could use the ABS glue to touch up parts of your bumper or any other application that uses ABS. With a bit of creativity you could even use the mixture to mould things.Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-50424057332969182002010-06-19T16:43:00.003+02:002010-06-19T16:47:27.667+02:00Skeinforge settings vs Great RaftsIn short: a raft is a printable, flat thick layer to even out your build platform. Through testing and whatnot your build platform takes a couple for the team and in time becoms uneven (holes, scars). The raft is there to make sure the build surface is flat, and also tries to assure good first layer adhesion to the platform.<br /><br />My first rafts were thin candy string like threads that offered virtualy no support and actualy did the opposite of what it was supposed to do. The fatter base layers and the thinner support layer didn't assure first layer adhesion, except on very small builds. <br /><br />A raft is important when you're printing with the standard build platform, and to a lesser extent when you're pinting on a heated build platform. Since printing with a heated build platform is very different from the standard, there's a separate post devoted to just that.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzSI9i1iLI/AAAAAAAAACc/gYYsAOW2rNo/s1600/Foto056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzSI9i1iLI/AAAAAAAAACc/gYYsAOW2rNo/s200/Foto056.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>First off, i've learned through trial and error and many comments on the google makerbot operators group that the interface layer (thinner threaded 2nd raft layer) isn't necesary by default. If you learn how to make a nice fat spread base layer that's all you really need.<br /><br />To get the raft you see here on the right, you need to manualy reposition the z-axis on the first line that's going down when the raft starts printing. Position your nozzle about 1mm above the build platform and start your print, then just lower the nozzle by hand untill your raft lines touch each other, but make sure they don't overlap. If the lines overlap you will see a very thin (like a hair) thread on top of the raft lines. That could mess up your first layer, but could also strip out your filament. By making such fat lines you could end up blocking the extrusion by feeding more into then the nozzle can lay down. So make sure the lines don't overlap. It'll take a couple of tries, so start out with a small raft to get the hang of it.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzTgQdLsAI/AAAAAAAAACk/fj0Jjofa8CY/s1600/Foto057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzTgQdLsAI/AAAAAAAAACk/fj0Jjofa8CY/s200/Foto057.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Your raft does need to have a thicker layer height, because if the layer height isn't thick enough the thin 'sheet' of plastic that will be your filament has no warping resistance.&nbsp; My settings for this type of raft are :<br /><br /><i>Base Infill Density : 0,65 - (0,7)</i><br /><i>Base Layer Thickness over Layer Thickness : 1,5</i><br /><i>Base Layers : 1</i><br /><i>Base Nozzle Lift Over Base Layer Thickness : 0,4</i><br /><i>-----</i><br /><i>Interface Layers : 0</i><br /><br />The two important parameters to toy with are the <i>Base Infill Density</i> and <i>Base Layer Thickness over Layer Thickness</i>. These two directly control how close the raft lines are together and how 'fat' they are.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzU_0vlMOI/AAAAAAAAACs/p--TIWsUQWY/s1600/Foto071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBzU_0vlMOI/AAAAAAAAACs/p--TIWsUQWY/s320/Foto071.jpg" /></a></div>On my Heated build platform i'm still using a raft, because i haven't had a chance to sit down and work out the speed settings for the first layer. Also the many reported problems with first layer adhesion on a heated build platform make me not want to rush into it as it's probably going to be a pain in the ass to get it done. I have to cut off the raft each time now (or leave it on for extra object strength), but with the razor that comes with the kit it's cake.<br /><br />Whichever settings you choose, know that a good raft is the first step to a good build. With a room temperature of 25-28° (high summer) and a good raft you'll be able to print big objects like the Printruder or large Mendel parts without a heated build platform. But be carefull when you print large parts and have a draft passing through your cupcake. Temp flux makes objects curl up. You could use two pieces of glass or see through plastic to cover up the front and back of the bot to make some sort of heated chamber. Even better would be to put your bot inside a wooden box with a glass door. That way you would be simulating the industrial 3D printers who work with heated chambers instead of heated build platforms. The final result would be the same.<br /><br />PeterrKlingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-22537319480527725362010-06-17T13:41:00.004+02:002010-06-19T16:48:44.710+02:00Feeding the Filament... with a spool!Jared Spool : <i>"<span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">Good design, when it's done well, becomes invisible"</span></span></i><br /><br /><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">Let's say that for the 3D printer jared's argument isn't always necesarily true. For quite some time i had filament strips that had two main reasons. Not having adjusted the idler wheel deep enough, and not feeding the filament 'smoothly' enough. Adjusting the idler wheel was obvious - but i kept looking past it for a few weeks because i was convinced i had set it correctly. </span><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;"><br /></span><br /><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">The ABS filament i got with the deluxe kit was a mess. I had no clue how to handle it and reasoned it's a spool - and if it goes haywire i'll just rewind it. This might be so for electrical wire, it isn't so for ABS. That stuff has no organisational qualities. The way my filament went into the cupcake was all tangled, twisted and what not.</span></span><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;"> Didn't really catch my eye untill one day it stripped cause it bent almost double.</span></span></span></span><br /><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBoJ0DchIvI/AAAAAAAAACU/0kKAxXVW_Cs/s1600/Foto069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBoJ0DchIvI/AAAAAAAAACU/0kKAxXVW_Cs/s320/Foto069.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">You don't have to be blond to be stupid, as illustrated by the above. Browsing around in thingiverse i found quite a number of people with spool variations. Some clever, some highly ingenious, some so wonderfully simple!. So i decided to go with KISS (keep it simple stupid). What can be more environamentaly friendly then to make your stuff out of cardboard! The user charlespax on thingiverse came up with a <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1550">cardboard spool</a> made from pizza boxes. I however used an old box from a computer i had lying around. Which is good thick cardboard. The build is really really simple, and surprisingly sturdy. You would need a spool holder for your shiny new toy, i made mine from a cardboard box. I inserted a metal rod through the spool, and hold the spool as a whole inside a cardboard box that's deep enough. Just make two holes in the box and tadaaa you have yourself a DIY - no effort spool holder.</span></span></span></span><br /><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><br /><span id="main" style="visibility: visible;"><span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">enjoy!</span></span></span></span>Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-5544958589316481852010-06-17T13:16:00.006+02:002010-06-17T13:27:07.100+02:00Howto: level your z stage<i><span class="sqq">“Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall.” </span></i><br /><span class="sqq">is what Salman Rushdie said.</span><br /><br /><span class="sqq">We've all seen our Z stage crash into the build platform.</span><i><span class="sqq"> </span></i><span class="sqq">The Z stage design is frail and prone to flaw. If you haven't payed allot of attention to the horizontal level of your stage, reconsider. Some print errors can come from a miss calibrated stage.</span><br /><br /><span class="sqq">The problem with the z-stage comes from two issues:<br />- The nuts that hold the stage horizontaly in place</span><br /><span class="sqq">- The differing height variation between those 4 nuts respectively.</span><br /><br /><span class="sqq">From personal experience i've found that leveling the z-stage horizontaly as a whole compared to the build platform is not 'THAT' important. I've found that the build stage can be off by millimeters and still result in a good print. What IS important however is that the nuts support the stage on all 4 points. The Z-stage can not have a tilt in it or it will result in bad prints. When all four nuts support the z-stage, the stage itself can (even visualy) look slanted - provinding there's no more then 5mm (give or take) height difference between the nuts. If you end up with more, you'll have to take a closer look at your build.</span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span class="sqq">At first i tried to straighten it to perfection but no matter what i did i always had a variance.&nbsp; Accepting that variance and trying out that very variance on all four corners i concluded it doesn't matter a single bit! (correct me if i'm wrong!).</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBoDRG8OhOI/AAAAAAAAACM/pkKHtvSM98E/s1600/Foto073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TBoDRG8OhOI/AAAAAAAAACM/pkKHtvSM98E/s320/Foto073.jpg" /></a></div><span class="sqq">For the howto part - here's how i do it: I move the nuts up the rod by hand high enough so i can insert the z-stage without much tilting it around (usualy that's about halfway the rod/cupcake). I never loosen the belt that's connected with the Z-stepper and pulleys. In the beginning that's how i went about leveling the z-stage by loosening the belt and then manualy turning the rods to desired height. I found that no matter what i tried, whenever i tightened the belt again - i would loose my perfect alignement. So now i simply unscrew the pulleys on the rods. Just unscrew the tiny inset screw on all four rods, then go crazy and OCD on the rods 'till they reach your satisfaction and tighten the inset screw again. And there you go, that - to my knowledge - is the best way to level a z-stage without having to take apart most of the bot.</span><br /><br /><span class="sqq">Make sure that when you tighten the rod pulleys again, you respect the height on the rod compared to the height of the pulley on the stepper motor. If you have the z-wobble arrester mod, take extra care in adjusting the two nuts in the back.Also keep an eye out for the two front nuts and the clamps for the z-wobble arrester. If the variance in height is mainly on the front you could end up with friction on the bushings.</span>Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-54567107634598323712010-05-29T16:01:00.001+02:002010-05-29T16:03:31.504+02:00Makerbot Heated Build Platform - Build and first use summaryAfter being unsuccesfull in printing the main part of the Printruder II printable plastruder i needed a way to print large part.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAEIVbQTMdI/AAAAAAAAAB0/a_DDanULt0c/s1600/Foto062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAEIVbQTMdI/AAAAAAAAAB0/a_DDanULt0c/s320/Foto062.jpg" /></a></div>I could print about 15 layers before warping kicked in. Which in general isn't bad considering allot of people get warping almost instantly (some even on the raft).<br /><br />At 14ish layers the left front corner of my printruder head started to curl up. I had hoped the warping would be contained to one corner and was praying for a good outcome. Needless to say (and judging by the picture on the right) the warping had become so bad that the print head ended up outside the object and was crashing into it repeatedly. I quickly stopped the build, afraid my extruder could become damaged from crashing into a fairly thick wall already.<br /><br />So i ordered a Makerbot Heated Build Platform v2 and assembled it.<br /><br />The build<br />------------<br />Putting the HBP together was a bit overwhelming at first, because i had never SMT soldered before. The whole hot plate thing sounded a truckload of work (and allot of money to spend for something i'll probably only use once). Luckely i could turn to an electronical engineer at work who said you can SMT solder by hand without a hot plate. You just need a good soldering iron and good quality solder. He showed me how to do it, and behold - i SMT soldered ALL the components perfectly without prior experience and WITHOUT a hot plate :) <br /><br />If you follow the manual on the wiki it's all very straight forward. There's no pitfalls - just take your time, solder in a very well lit environment and use magnifiers (those come in handy!).<br /><br />Take note of the orientation for the leds, the green markings are horribly small.<br /><br />When everything was assembled i sawed off the tips off the nuts. Next time i'm in a hardware store i'll search for screws i can sink into the metal so nothing sticks out on top. But sawed off i don't loose any build space either.<br /><a name='more'></a>Setting It Up<br />---------------<br />I read allot of messages from people saying their mosfet overheated quickly. Some people report 1-2 minutes, others report as little as 5 seconds before the mosfet shuts down due to overheating. A fan is a solution - but not adequate... so are heat sinks. On heavy (or long) loads any chip (not properly cooled) will eventualy shut down from overheating. <br /><br />Hooking the platform directly to the power supply for power is an obvious solution. I mean - the PSU is just sitting there with very little to do. Good thing about open source: a bunch of people have done all the work for us already. Hooking it up to 12V directly makes the bed heat up, but keeps heating up. We want to be able to control the temperature, so let's use a relay.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAEOU88upAI/AAAAAAAAAB8/uLyURp54CQg/s1600/relay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAEOU88upAI/AAAAAAAAAB8/uLyURp54CQg/s320/relay.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://abella.net/?page_id=243">John Abella</a>'s blog has a nice write-up about how to install a relay and the right way to connect the wires. I also used a 12V-30A car horn relay that cost me no more then 5euro. The 30A is a bit much but that one was on the shelf! For visual clarity i added a schematic to the left on how the wires go. A few people are confused about where the black wire from the HBP goes to. Well it goes to the black wire on one of your black wires on the PSU. Yellow wires on your PSU are +12V, black wires are -12V (also called 'ground'). My PSU had a 4pin 12V connector i could never use on the makerbot so i cannibalized it for the 2 +12V connections (30, 86) and 1 ground (black wire from the HBP).&nbsp; What's important is to use a diode between 86 and 85 to stop back EMF from destroying your mosfet. Read about it <a href="http://www.bcae1.com/relays.htm">here</a>.<br />Note: A+ on your extruder board goes nowhere! It is normaly used to feed the HBP if you don't hook it up directly to power. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAERzp8-U7I/AAAAAAAAACE/S8eqkSfsqAo/s1600/Crimp-Poster-Guide.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/TAERzp8-U7I/AAAAAAAAACE/S8eqkSfsqAo/s200/Crimp-Poster-Guide.png" width="200" /></a></div>The wires can be soldered straight onto the relay, but you could use isolated crimp-on connectors like i did. They in turn can be soldered or just crimpped depending on how lazy you are ;)<br />Also comes in handy if you ever need to take it appart.<br /><br />Keep the wires as short as possible, and away from the motors.<br /><br />Printing with a HBP<br />------------------------<br />Allot of the HBP users feedback mentions firmwares 1.6 and 1.8 heated build platform. I had v2.0 installed, tried one test cube and noticed the whole thing behaving weird - so immediatly flashed to the lower firmwares. I'll test it out with the new firmwares later when i printed some necesary parts (z wobble arrester, printruder II). Right now i'm concerned about making good quality builds and the older firmware combination works.<br /><br />I haven't figured out how to print raftless. Building on the HBP with a raft requires some cleaning up when it's done. The raft doesn't always come off that easely, but i get nice builds so far - so raftless is something i'll worry about later.<br /><br />Since i'm printing with (red) ABS for now, the HBP is heated to 120°C. I noticed i have to give it 123°C to make it 120°C. My prints stay pink untill i remove them from the bed, then they turn red - which indicates me the object stays nice and warm and doesn't suffer as much from inter-layer cooling.<br /><br />Next will be to test my black PLA. I had briefly tried it but my extruder needs more tweaking to be able to print it succesfully. My attempts cause the filament to strip out almost instantly eventhough i was heated up to 230°C. Some research showed that the heater barrel needs to heat up to 150°C at the tip to be able to print PLA correctly. So that's something i'll have to figure out in the future.<br />For now i'm happy with my red ABS.<br /><br />Check out a video i made while printing the z wobble arresters:<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" height="173" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="260"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&amp;photo_secret=13b0939f9e&amp;photo_id=4649441975&amp;flickr_show_info_box=true"></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&amp;photo_secret=13b0939f9e&amp;photo_id=4649441975&amp;flickr_show_info_box=true" height="173" width="260"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49387085@N07/4649441975/">z wobble arrester printing</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/49387085@N07/">kling3r</a></span>Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-23727302650967964422010-05-24T11:23:00.002+02:002010-05-24T11:31:03.735+02:00Clean your blocked extruderAt some point your extruder is going to get blocked. No matter how hot you fire up the heater barrel plastic will extrude thinner then before, and filament will strip out allot more frequently.<br />This means filament residue has been left behind in the heater barrel, and stuck to the sides of the barrel. I've noticed this happens more frequently when you clean blocked barrels with a drill or any hard object that can rough up the surface. Depending on how high up the barrel you start heating, the plastic partialy melts and sticks to the degraded surface causing blockage over time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_pFEx60LxI/AAAAAAAAABE/56HsekJ848A/s1600/foto064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_pFEx60LxI/AAAAAAAAABE/56HsekJ848A/s320/foto064.jpg" /></a></div>There are many suggested ways to clean a blocked barrel. Most people use a blow torch to simply burn the filament to ash and then rinse it out (with water, acetone). As described above i had a 'feeling' that using hard objects caused it to become more frequent. I don't have the tools to check the insides of a heater barrel, so it's just a guesstimate. The direct assault with fire is for most people the only way since it requires not a whole lot of tools and can be done in the yard. But do remember that the fumes are toxic! Burning any oil based material will cause toxic fumes, so don't breath them in - and keep your space well ventilated!<br /><br />After cleaning out most of the blocked filament, you should leave it for around 24h in a aceton solution. This will make the smallest residue to become soft and easy(er) to remove. <br />Over at Makergear.com the operators packs include a pipe cleaner and a 0.4 brass rod. They're helpfull, but be carefull not to damage the metal.<br /><br />If you however,&nbsp; have access to a laboratory, - or the funds to invest in the material - the following compound is excellent to use for any blocked barrel with polymers.<br /><br />THF (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrofuran">Tetrahydrofuran</a>) is a chemical compound that's excellent for breaking down polymers. Unlike Aceton the THF will dissolve the plastic, where as aceton will only make it rubbery. The THF solution will work allot faster if you hold it in a ultrasone bath. You can clean a blocked extruder in minutes with this combination. No need to clean the nozzle with 0.4 brass bars, the plastic just falls off and partialy dissolves in the THF.<br /><br />I have not yet had a chance to test how well Acetone with ultrasone cleaning works. For that i need a blocked extruder and so far i've been spared. But it's the first thing i'll try if and when i get one.Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-5284724882480951852010-05-21T20:14:00.004+02:002010-05-22T12:51:36.921+02:00Makerbot #000284 - part 3"<span style="font-style: italic;">There is no spoon</span>"...<br /><br />Unlike 'Neo' you probably can't straighten your Z rods by sheer will. It is however very important to have straight rods. A wobble on your Z axis will cause your walls to be irregular and far from a smooth build. It most likely won't compromise integrity of the object, but it won't be as smooth as it can be.<br /><br />Straightening the rods is a simple thing. Put the rod without the nuts or bearings on a flat surface - glass makes a good surface - and roll the rod around. You'll immediatly notice if there's a wobble in it. On my rods i found the exact spot of the bend by pushing one side down, and looking for the point on which it tilts. If you know where to bend it, slightly curl the rod - do it with minimal force - and repeat it untill the rod rolls flat. You could also opt to just buy a new rod. <br /><br />The user 'TwoTimes' on <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/">thingiverse</a> came up with a brilliant addon to eliminate any form of wobble (<a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2151">Wobble Arrester</a>). Aside from the bushings i have all the parts prepared to add this to my bot. I'll post pictures and configuration as i go along - check the blog archive for the link.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />The stepper motors are strong, so strong in fact they can withstand a massive beating with a hammer! When i built my bot i made a capital mistake, get ready to point and laugh: <br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">When i put the pulley on the stepper motor that controls the Z stage, i noticed i accidently used the pulley on the X stage, and had threaded the inside by forcing the threaded bolt through it. Because the inside was now threaded, it didn't fit smoothly on the stepper motor anymore (not even with a whole lot of sanding). Since i figured i ruined the pulley i forced it onto the motor with a hammer(whack!). Testing the motor after each bang i grew interested in how much pummeling the motor could actualy take. Rest assure that it can take a beating far greater then your furniture can take. I was amazed at how hard i hit it forcing the pulley in place, and watching the stepper motor still happely spin!! I won't however try it again, nor do i advise anyone to try it out, unless you have a spare stepper motor you're willing to molest.</span>"<br /><br />you can stop laughing now ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_edc7TPyMI/AAAAAAAAAA8/rRFRXImYSYo/s1600/foto063.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474016992372443330" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_edc7TPyMI/AAAAAAAAAA8/rRFRXImYSYo/s320/foto063.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>As for the electronics, i have one capital piece of advice. The cable you use to connect the motherboard with the extruder controller, should be S/STP specified (not S/UTP!). S/STP is short for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_pair">"Shielded Twisted Pair"</a>. The makerbot designers use a xTP cable to keep it cheap, and although the cable suffices in many ways, the wire pairs need to be shielded in order to keep noise polution out of the signals between the boards. Noise can cause interference and disturb the build process in many more ways you can imagine. So keep your wires (Nichrome, Thermistor) away from your filament drive motor - and the communication cable should loop through the front of your case towards to motherboard to keep interference away from the signal. You should be able to buy an STP cable in any computer hardware store. Keep it as short as possible.<br /><br />On a final note about the building of your bot:<br />Don't assume that when it's built, you're done. Always keep in mind you're going to take it apart again. First two times i was reluctant to dismantle the whole thing because i believed the issues (bent z rod, loose bearing) i had were minor and didn't require dismanteling. Untill i could tweak skeinforge no more and HAD to fix the wobble in the Z-rod by taking the rods out. Always keep in mind that mechanical flaws leave a far greater imprint on your objects then you might imagine when you first start printing. It's homebrew, DIY and requires allot of maintenance. Any slight flaw in both mechanical or electronical parts immediately show in your to build object!<br /><br />Happy botting,<br />Kling3rKlingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-89797925129035142802010-05-21T08:59:00.007+02:002010-05-22T12:52:35.503+02:00Makerbot #000284 - part 2"<span style="font-style: italic;">Keep your bot close, but your parts closer...</span>"<br /><br />During the build of my bot i repeatedly dropped bolts, nuts, bits and bobs everywhere. Use cups to keep your parts from falling and sorted by dimension. Eggholders are good, or the cut-outs from the plywood come in handy aswell.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a3HG_QhmI/AAAAAAAAAAk/w31dD1V0T9U/s1600/Foto059.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473763729878320738" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a3HG_QhmI/AAAAAAAAAAk/w31dD1V0T9U/s320/Foto059.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>When assembling the Plastruder (MK4), pay attention when you bolt the 'Heater Barrel' on to the 'Filament Drive Mechanism'. Two washers need to be used in that connection, and when you don't use them there's a chance that one of the inner parts might break in the Filament Drive Mechanism.<br /><br />As soon as you get the hang of printing with your bot, a good idea is to start printing parts for a printeable head. There are several (<a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1980">Printruder II</a>, <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:958">Printed Extruder</a>, <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2198">Really Strong Filament Drive</a>) that are worth having a look at. <br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a7QKY7jAI/AAAAAAAAAAs/errswesIVQA/s1600/Foto060.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473768283456637954" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a7QKY7jAI/AAAAAAAAAAs/errswesIVQA/s320/Foto060.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>By employing a printed head you can save yourself money from having to buy continuous spare parts (because it will break - just a matter of when). The linked printeable heads also have MAJOR improvements towards the filament drive and some of them are basicaly a total redesign of the drive. That's the beauty of open-source, everyone can contribute and thus improve the whole design.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a-pyaLjcI/AAAAAAAAAA0/2B2HxDNGQn8/s1600/Foto062.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473772022230912450" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_a-pyaLjcI/AAAAAAAAAA0/2B2HxDNGQn8/s320/Foto062.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>Note that when you print large objects, warping will rear it's head. Warping is the effect that your extrusion (molten plastic), starts to cool down and curve upwards towards the still 'warm' plastic layers. This means your object will start to come off the raft and curl up. You can get lucky that it doesn't interfere with the build, but in 99% of the case the print head will eventualy end up outside the object and bump into it - which could even lead to damage to your print head.<br /><br />One way to prevent warping from happening is to use a 'Heated Build Platform' (<a href="http://store.makerbot.com/cupcake-cnc/makerbot-cupcake-heated-build-platform-v2-0.html">Makerbot HBP v2.0</a>, <a href="http://www.makergear.com/products/build-platforms">Makergear Ceramic HBP</a>). (I'm writing a post about how i'm building and configuring my makerbot HBP 2.0, search the archive if you're interested).<br /><br />Another way to prevent warping, or better said 'reduce' warping is by using PLA. I can't however present you with facts as i haven't yet finished my PLA plastruder yet (I have a heater barrel for ABS, and now another with a Makergear Heatercore attached to it i plan on using for PLA). Warping is a big issue so there will be more posts about it, stay tuned.<br /><br />I read from an operator that he was able to reduce warping by building a case with heat lamps to increase the ambient temperature. This is how industrial prototyping machines work, but in my opinion working with a heated build platform is far sufficient. It's not only space reducing vs the case with lamps, it's also far more easy to build, maintain, and cost effective.<br /><br />to be continued...Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-35250622687118944812010-05-20T20:48:00.006+02:002010-05-21T08:59:39.040+02:00Makerbot #000284 - part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WIXrL-ZoI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Wir2C7mFJeg/s1600/makerbot000284.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 183px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WIXrL-ZoI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Wir2C7mFJeg/s320/makerbot000284.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473430862450026114" /></a>I operate bot number #000284 and below you'll find some of my findings while assembling the mechanical and electronical parts. <br /><br />To be honest i never had allot of problems assembling the bot, but there are some minor things to keep in mind! Things that aren't always explained or even obvious.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WKGMLQLqI/AAAAAAAAAAU/a3Trbq5AzFM/s1600/Foto044.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 306px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WKGMLQLqI/AAAAAAAAAAU/a3Trbq5AzFM/s320/Foto044.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473432761090977442" /></a>First things first: you're going to assemble the casing with nuts and bolts. The wood is simple plywood, and can't have allot of strain on any point. Tighten the bolts by hand and only tighten them with the hex screw by 1/4 or 1/2 turn. Wiggle the parts to asses if they're tight or need perhaps another 1/4 turn. On my bot i overtightened some of the bolts which will make it very hard to reassemble if i ever have to take it appart.<br /><br />Take your time assembling everything. Mine went surprisingly fast - although i've read people building it in one or two weeks time, i spent perhaps half a day - but i have experience building machinery. So don't rush it, and don't build by low lighting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WN5XdJF4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/eaRwqiQ5FDQ/s1600/X-rods.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YLw6LjSTISc/S_WN5XdJF4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/eaRwqiQ5FDQ/s320/X-rods.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473436938827011970" /></a>The bot does rattle quit allot, i've seen people design feet (<a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1579">link</a>) for it, but an important tweak to reduce quite allot of the rattle is by putting a tiny piece of soft material (cloth, foam - stuff like that) between the X stage rods and the square plywood piece you bolt to the side of the bot. When the X stage moves (sideways) the shafts tend to clatter against the wood and make quite a bit of noise. Just insert something thin in between to help reduce the noise, and also help keep the shafts even more firm in place. <br /><br />to be continued...Klingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980677231542315581.post-57601483799331233472010-05-20T20:39:00.004+02:002010-05-20T20:48:05.297+02:00introI'm starting this blog from my experiences as an average Makerbot Cupcake CNC user. <br />The initial learning curve can be very steep, and wrapping your head around the IMMENSE amount of homebrew and confirmed settings can be quite a task.<br /><br />Hoping to share my findings, and compile a hands-on newbie approach to the machine.<br /><br />The goal is to compile a lexicon from all the scattered stuff out there, a resource if you will with practical and USEFULL data.<br />My personal opinion is that there are far to much valuable settings out there that drown in between schematics and total tech stuff. New users need simple and easy to follow articles that explain the basics.<br /><br />hope you find use for it, <br />and happy printing!<br /><br />Kling3rKlingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680837213137341759noreply@blogger.com0